TRUTH AND NAIL v
Finally, the car pulled
into the driveway, and
Karen turned off the engine.
She looked back
at Plankton, his chest
rising and falling with
each snore.
"We're home," she said,
her voice a gentle nudge.
His eye flickered open,
his gaze still unfocused.
Karen stepped out of
the car, opened the door and
unbuckled his seatbelt,
his body still limp.
"Wha..." Plankton mumbled
as she gently nudged him
awake. His eye blinked
slowly, the world coming
back into focus. "Home?"
he asked, his voice a
hoarse whisper.
Karen nodded, a soft
smile playing on her
screen. "Yes, darling, we're
home," she said, her voice
like a warm embrace.
"Let's get you inside."
But then Sponge
Bob shows up at
their door. “Hi
guys! Where have
you been?”
Karen's smile was
bright despite her
exhaustion. "Plankton
just had his wisdom
teeth out," she
explained, her voice
a gentle whisper as
Plankton noticed Sponge
Bob.
Sponge Bob's face lit up.
"Oh no, buddy!" he exclaimed,
his voice full of concern
and empathy. "How ya feeling?"
Plankton blinked at him,
his gaze unfocused, his mouth
half open in a sleepy smile.
"Wis...dom...teef?" he slurred.
Karen couldn't help but laugh
at the sight, her heart
swelling with love for
her goofy husband.
"Yeah, buddy," she said,
helping him to his feet.
He swayed a bit, his legs
still wobbly from the anesthesia.
"Let's get you to the couch."
Plankton leaned heavily
on her, his steps
exaggerated and unsteady.
Everything was a blur,
but the warmth of Karen's
body was a comforting
constant. Sponge
Bob goes in with them.
"Let's get you comfortable,"
she murmured, guiding him
to the couch. His eye
closed, his head lolling
back. "No, no," she
laughed gently, pushing him
forward. "Just a bit more."
Plankton's snores grew
softer as she maneuvered
his body, his weight
sagging against her.
"Karen?" he mumbled,
his voice a sleepy whisper
as SpongeBob sat by him.
Her smile grew, her screen
twinkling. "Yeah, honey?"
Plankton's eye rolled
back, his words slurred
but earnest. "I love you."
It was a declaration
so out of place and
so unexpected that Karen
froze for a moment,
her heart swelling.
Sponge Bob's smile grew
wider, his eyes sparkling.
"Aw, Plankton," he said,
his voice full of warmth.
"You're feeling the love
of the anesthesia, aren't ya?"
Karen couldn't help but
laugh, the tension of
the day lifting slightly.
"I guess he's feeling
extra affectionate,"
she said, her voice a
playful tease.
Sponge Bob chuckled,
his laughter bubbly and
infectious. "Looks like
it," he said, patting
Plankton's shoulder. "You
take it easy, buddy."
But Plankton's mind
was stuck in a loop,
his words a jumble of
slurred affection.
"Spongey...Spongey..." he
murmured, his eye half-
closed and his smile
lopsided.
Sponge Bob leaned in,
his face a mask of
concern. "You okay, Plankton?"
Plankton's eye rolled to
meet his, a sleepy smile
spreading across his
swollen face. "You...Spongey...
youw my besht...besht...buddy,"
he slurred, his voice
a thick, sloppy mess of
words. His arm flopped
over, slapping Sponge Bob
on the side with a
half-hearted pat.
Sponge Bob's laughter filled
the room, bubbly and
genuine. "Aw, Plankton,
you're too much," he said,
his voice full of affection.
Plankton's smile grew
slower, his head lolling
to one side. "Yew...yew are...are
my besht...buddy," he
managed, his arm flopping
around like a ragdoll's.
Sponge Bob took his
hand, holding it tight.
"And you're mine too, buddy,"
he said, his voice warm.
"Besh...buddy...Spongey,"
Plankton murmured, his voice
like a sleepy child's. He
tried to focus, his
eye blinking in the bright
living room light.
Sponge Bob's smile was a
beacon in the fog. "You had
a big day."
Plankton's head nodded
slowly, his eye half-closed.
"Big...day," he echoed, his
voice a slur. His hand
found its way to Sponge
Bob's arm, gripping it
with surprising strength.
"You...you...were there."
Sponge Bob looked at
Karen, his expression a
mix of confusion and
amusement. "Yeah, I'm
here for ya," he said,
his voice gentle.
Plankton's grip tightened,
his eye still half-closed.
"No, no," he murmured,
his words thick and slow.
"You...you were...were...were
there...always." His voice
trailed off, a hint of
emotion in the slurred
sentence.
Sponge Bob's confusion
deepened, his gaze flicking
to Karen for guidance.
Her laugh was a soft
chime, her screen alight with
joy. "It's just the meds,
Sponge Bob," she said, her voice
a gentle reminder. "He's
still pretty out of it."
Plankton's head lolled
back. "They
took...my...teefth," he
slurred dramatically, his voice
a theatrical whine. "All
four of them!" His arms
flailed in the air like
he was recounting a battle
with a sea monster.
Sponge Bob's eyes went wide.
"All at once?" he gasped,
his sponge-like form leaning
forward with curiosity.
"How'd you manage that?"
Plankton's hand waved
dramatically.
"They...they...they put
me in a chair," he slurred,
his voice rising with each
word. "And then...then
they...took...my...TEefth!"
He pronounced it with
the gravity of a Shakespearean
actor, drawing out the 'f'
for maximum impact.
Sponge Bob's eyes grew
rounder, his smile
still plastered on his
face. "Wow, Plankton,
sounds like you had
quite the adventure!"
Plankton's chuckle was
a strange sound.
He threw his hands up,
his body swaying with the
motion. "They...they had
these...these...things!"
He paused dramatically,
his eye squinting as if
trying to remember. "Needleth?"
Sponge Bob's eyes went wider,
his curiosity piqued. "Needles??"
Plankton's head nodded
exaggeratedly, his smile
now a full-on grin. "Yes,
yes needleths!"
Sponge Bob leaned in, his
eyes wide with fascination.
"How’d they you to sleep
with needles?" he asked, his voice
filled with wonder.
Plankton's eye closed, his
face a mask of dramatic
remembrance. "They...they put
this...this...tube," he said, his
fingers tracing an invisible
line on his arm, "and then...
whoosh!" His arm fell
lifelessly to his side, his
head lolling back. "I was in...
space... then...the
I was...gone." His smile
was serene, his mind lost
in the fog of the anesthesia.
Sponge Bob's eyes sparkled
with laughter. "Then what
happened as you woke up?"
Plankton's head jerked
up, his gaze wild. "Woke
up?" he murmured, his voice
dreamy. "They...they had
these lights..." He waved
his hand in the air,
describing a constellation
that only he could see.
"Bright lights...so bright...
like stars...stars in my
veins!"
Sponge Bob leaned back,
his laughter bubbling up.
"Stars in your veins?"
he repeated, his voice
full of delight.
Plankton nodded, his
expression earnest. "Yes,
yes stars," he murmured,
his eye half-closed. "They
shone so brightly, and
then..." He paused, his
fingers twitching.
"They...they...took my
teefth!" His voice grew
loud with accusation.
Sponge Bob couldn't help
but laugh, his giggles
filling the room. Karen
just watched, her heart
full. Plankton was rarely
this affectionate, especially
with Sponge Bob. It was
a side of him she hadn't
seen in ages, and she found
it strangely charming.
Plankton leaned into
his newfound friendliness,
his arm sliding over
Sponge Bob's shoulder. "You...you
make me...happy," he slurred,
his eye half-closed.
Sponge Bob's smile grew
even wider, his laughter
now a full-on chuckle.
"Well, that's what
friends are for," he said,
his voice warm and gentle.
Karen watched, her heart
swelling with joy at the
sight of her husband,
usually so stern and
focused, being this tender
and open. "You're so
funny when you're like this,"
she said, her voice a soft
laugh.
Plankton's smile grew
slower, his hand reaching
out to poke at Sponge
Bob's side.
Plankton's face lit up
with glee. "So...squishy,"
he murmured, his voice
full of wonder as he
gave him a gentle pat.
Sponge Bob's laughter
was a delighted squeak.
"What's gotten into
you, Plankton?" he
asked, his eyes twinkling.
Plankton's grin was
silly and wide, his
head lolling to one side.
"The...stars...Spongey,"
he murmured, his voice
a sleepy whisper. "They're
still in me." His hand
reached out again, poking
Sponge Bob's side with
a gentle touch. "So squishy..."
Sponge Bob giggled, his
laughter like bubbles
in the ocean. "You're
a funny guy, Plankton,"
he said, his voice
full of amusement.
Plankton's hand paused,
his finger hovering over
Sponge Bob's side. "Am...am I?"
he asked, his voice a
slurred question. "I feel...
funny." His head tilted,
his eye looking at his
finger with curiosity.
Sponge Bob nodded, his
laughter bubbling up. "You
sure are, buddy," he said,
his voice filled with warmth.